Henry II is the most imposing figure among the medieval kings of England. His fiefs and domains extended from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, and his court was frequented by the greatest thinkers and men of letters of his time, besides ambassadors from all over Europe. This readable and accessible biography offers both a study of his character, and an estimate of his work as a ruler, work which is in a sense the history of his life, since it occupied his entire energies from his accession at the age of twenty-one to his death thirty-five years later. Nor is this the mere routine of government; from the desolate and lawless anarchy of Stephen's reign, and against the opposition of the great magnates and the Church, he built in England a stable and prosperous realm, and welded his diverse inheritance overseas into a single, and by the standards of the time, peaceful, unit. Only the folly of John dispersed his empire, and his work in England left an enduring mark on the institutions by which we are governed today.
RICHARD BARBER's other books include Tournaments, with Juliet Barker, Edward Prince of Wales and Aquitaine, The Life and Campaigns of the Black Prince, The Knight and Chivalry and books on King Arthur; he is currently working on a study of the legend of the Holy Grail.
1154-1189
Reviews
At once objective and readable, it can be thoroughly recommended... An admirable portrait of a great king and his times. CATHOLIC HERALD An able and sympathetic view of Henry, both as man and king. IRISH TIMES
Details
First Published: 01 Jul 2003
13 Digit ISBN: 9780851159935
Pages: 304
Size: 23.4 x 15.6
Binding: Hardback
Imprint: Boydell Press
Subject:
Medieval HistoryBIC Class: HBLC1
Details updated on 02 Sep 2010
